Eric Holder's 'Off-The-Record' Meeting With Journalists Leads To 'On-The-Record' Quotes, But Not Much Else

from the blah-de-blah-blah dept

Remember how Eric Holder wanted to hold a meeting with a bunch of journalists as he seeks to revise the "guidelines" the DOJ sets up for itself (fox watching the hen house, anyone?) on how it spies on journalists? A meeting where many top news organizations refused to go because it was officially "off the record?" In the end, the media seemed to be split on whether or not to go, as summarized by the Huffington Post (who didn't go):

At the session, Holder and Deputy Attorney General James Cole expressed a willingness to revise the guidelines for such investigations, journalists present at the get-together told POLITICO.

But Holder stopped short of offering any concrete changes to the guidelines. Instead, the Attorney General sought to assure the journalists that he and the DOJ were trying to seek a balance between the demands of national security and the free flow of information, and sought suggestions from the journalists on how those changes might be achieved.

Ah, so the hens get to suggest to the fox how they'd like their rights to be violated, and then the fox gets to decide how best to "incorporate those suggestions"? I'm sure that will work out just great. As some who were in attendance noted, nothing in the meeting suggested that the DOJ was actually going to change or adjust its policies.

Re:

They impeached Nixon for less than the shit Obama has pulled.

In Nixon's time it was standard for powers-that-be to maintain a believable facade of lawful government. People expected a lot more from politicians then. While they are not necessarily any more honest than they are today, politicians had to work harder back then.